Being relatively new to the blogosphere, I'm still exploring much of what it has to offer in the way of bells and whistles to enhance my audience's experience. It's pretty fascinating, all the stuff that's out there, and I could gadget-up my sidebar from here until next week if it weren't for my desire to keep the look of my blog relatively streamlined and clean (not sure how I'm doing on that one, but I try).
Out of curiosity I had to put up a counter (though I'm pretty sure a third of the hits are my own -- AOL doesn't seem to recognize that I'm the same user visit to visit), and just recently discovered, in all my blog-hopping, the FEEDJIT map, which I think is the coolest thing since...well, since blogs themselves.
I'm not deluding myself into thinking my audience is that big, but I find it pretty darn enchanting to find out there are folks halfway around the globe (in Israel! and Brazil! and Australia! and Spain and Norway!) reading my words from sweet home Chicago.
So I'd like to take this post to give a shout-out to what looks like a growing reader base in Kansas (most likely thanks to Jacquie, so major props to her), to devon in the office down the hall, Judy up in the 'burbs, my two loyal followers, a "how's it goin, eh?" to friends north of the border, and a big "Happy Friday!" to all of you checking in from all over the place to see where I'm bouncing next.
I love the idea of making this big ol' world a little smaller, one post at a time.
Of course, this little tool also allows me to tell who's not reading...like my sister in Winston-Salem, for instance, and my best friend for as long as I can remember Jackie in Brooklyn. Nothin' like a little global humiliation to bring you around, is there?
Anyhow...
I leave you today with one of my favorite pictures, because a post without pictures just doesn't feel post-y enough for me...
I took my parents up to northern Michigan last month for a week of R&R (mostly for me, they've been retired forever and live a life of R&R, for the most part). Married 61 years this past June, and they're still holding hands. Not many people can say that. Makes me feel like a very lucky girl.
P.S. Thanks also for all your comments -- under the tutelage of StephanieD (who, by the way, is up to some major Halloween ghoulishness), I'm working on my blogging etiquette and trying to respond to all of them from now on.
